United States Department of Agriculture 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 

WS Directive 2.120 10/07/05

NATIONAL WILDLIFE DISEASE SURVEILLANCE AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM

1. PURPOSE 

To summarize the mission, responsibilities, and program direction 

of Wildlife Services (WS) National Wildlife Disease Surveillance 

and Emergency Response Program (program). 

2. REPLACEMENT HIGHLIGHTS 

This is a new directive. 

3. AUTHORITY 

The Act of March 2, 1931 (46 Stat. 1468; 7 USC 426-426b, as 

amended) and The Rural Development, Agriculture, and Related 

Agencies Appropriations Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-202, 7 USC 

426c) provides legal authority for WS involvement in 

investigations and control of wildlife diseases and to control 

nuisance mammals and birds and those constituting reservoirs of 

zoonotic diseases. 

4. BACKGROUND 

In FY 2003, WS received appropriated funding to develop a 

nationally coordinated system for monitoring diseases of concern, 

and to establish an infrastructure capable of rapidly responding 

to introductions of exotic pathogens into wildlife populations. 

The program and its Surveillance and Emergency Response System 

(SERS) embed wildlife disease biologists into State Operational 

Programs to assist APHIS and other agencies (i.e. local, State, 

Federal, Tribal) with achieving disease monitoring, surveillance, 

research, and emergency response goals. 

5. MISSION 

The mission of the program is to provide Federal leadership in 

managing wildlife disease threats to agriculture, human health 

and safety, and natural resources by assisting Federal, State, 

Tribal, and local governments, private industry, and citizens 

with management of zoonotic and other wildlife diseases of 

concern. 
 

6. RESPONSIBILITIES 

The primary responsibility of the program is to provide 

assistance to various cooperators to address specific wildlife 

diseases and respond to a variety of emergencies. The 

responsibility of organizing and overseeing the program at the 

National level is assigned to the National Wildlife Disease 

Coordinator (Coordinator). The Coordinator provides guidance and 

direction in developing specific monitoring or surveillance 

plans, recommending research topics, identifying and recommending 

training needs for personnel, implementing operational wildlife 

disease management activities, and developing and implementing 

multi-hazard emergency response capabilities. The Coordinator or 

his/her designee shall also establish wildlife disease working 

groups which may include input from the National Wildlife 

Research Center (NWRC). The Coordinator shall communicate all 

program activities to the Deputy Administrator’s Office. The 

Coordinator or his/her designee is responsible for maintaining 

the designated phone number, (970) 266-6363, to receive 

notifications of requests for WS assistance in emergencies. 

Primary responsibilities of wildlife disease biologists embedded 

in the SERS are to collect, preserve, and ship biological samples 

according to established guidelines, serve as liaisons in 

respective state(s) of responsibility among agencies concerned 

with wildlife disease issues, participate in disease management 

activities, investigate opportunities to provide assistance to 

agencies involved in wildlife disease issues including supporting 

NWRC projects, and respond to disease outbreaks and other 

emergencies requiring WS participation. Wildlife disease 

biologists are directly supervised by respective State 

Operational Programs. Supervision under emergency response will 

be in accordance with the Incident Command System and SERS. 

7. PROGRAM DIRECTION 

The Coordinator determines overall program direction and 

involvement with guidance and direction from the Deputy 

Administrator’s Office, and in accordance with the National 

Wildlife Disease Surveillance and Emergency Response System 

Business Plan. Program direction is additionally provided 

through creation of wildlife disease working groups, which may 

include NWRC participation, to provide input on specific diseases 

of interest. Working groups are overseen by the Coordinator and 

managed by designated employees. The Coordinator determines 

diseases, excluding rabies, of interest and concern to WS and 

subsequent prioritization. 

8. REFERENCES 

WS Directive 1.201, Mission and Philosophy of the WS Program 

(09/16/03). 
 

WS Directive 1.210, Legal Authority (09/19/03). 

WS National Wildlife Disease Surveillance and Emergency Response 

System Business Plan (04/14/05). 

WS Multi-hazard Emergency Communications Standard Operating 

Procedure (04/12/05). 

Deputy Administrator